ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Executive Committee has laid the blame for the continued delay in renewing the contract of out of job Stephen Keshi on the Felix Anyansi-led Technical Sub-committee, even as it urged Nigerians to hold the committee responsible.

Speaking to Daily Sunsports in Abuja yesterday, NFF first Vice President Mr. Seyi Akinwunmi, maintained that the delay had nothing to do with the absence of Pinnick Amaju, who was on CAF duty in the just concluded AFCON tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

“There is no iota of truth that the absence of the federation’s president was responsible for the delay in finalising Keshi’s contract. I think the technical committee should be in the best position to answer that question. They were given a job to do, we are waiting for them to get back to us.

“I have been acting in his absence, I don’t think there has been any lacuna, and even if there is they can always get across to us. We are only waiting for them to give us the report,” he quipped.

Speaking on the just concluded Africa Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea, he stressed: “It is very unfortunate that we did not participate in the tournament otherwise we would have shown how good we are despite what happened. But, we must not continue to bicker over what happened.

“Let me however, admit that it was a very tensed finals, though the events of the quarterfinals tend to portray Africa in bad light. I have to also give kudos to the host country for putting up such arrangements within so short a time,” he noted.

Asked if the tournament missed the Super Eagles or vice visa, he argued: “I think the tournament missed the Super Eagles, though we also missed the tournament because it is important for us to be at the top in every stage of a tournament. The tournament has come and gone, we can only continue to move forward. We recognise that we should have been there but we cannot dwell on that for long.”





….To retire Enyeama, Mikel, Osaze from Eagles

If the comments of the President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, is anything to go by, the days of players like Vincent Enyeama, John Mikel Obi, Osaze Odewinmgie and other old players in the Super Eagles seem to be numbered, following revelation that plans are in the pipeline to shut them out of the squad.

Pinnick, who spoke with journalists on arrival from the just concluded Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea stressed that only young and talented players would be recruited into the senior national team as part of the re building process.

He said judging from what he saw at the tournament where most countries paraded relatively young players, whose names did not ring bells in world football, the display of raw natural talent and skills added glamour to the tournament.

“In Equatorial Guinea I saw young and talented players, I saw zeal, national morale and selflessness, as well as the hunger to excel. There was no Eto,o, Drogba, Muntari and Michael Essien. May be apart from Yaya Toure and Asamoah Gyan there were no notable big names.

“In fact, when you see these players on television you think they are very old, but seeing them physically revealed that they are very young. As a match commissioner, I went into their dressing rooms and I can confirm that these players are young.

“In fact, I asked a player his age and he told me he is 18 years and truly he looks it. So, I am telling you, those are players that are hungry, whose age is between 18 to 22, these are we are lacking in the Super Eagles.

“Before we won the AFCON in 2013, there was hunger, you could see what Mba did, how he twisted his leg to score that goal, it was very daring. That could have ended his career, but I don’t think he may want to do that again because possibly he would want to save his leg,” he said.